The Sorcerer's Concubine (The Telepath and the Sorcerer Book 1) Read Online Free

be slow again. They went an hour without any visitors at all.
    Finally, the door opened. Dalarsha greeted a man downstairs. Velsa, Nraya and another girl new to the House, Lasia, stood in the hall listening. So did some of the girls from other rooms. They were all so bored. Dalarsha didn’t allow them to read or embroider or do much of anything during business hours. Needlework was not seductive.
    “Let me take your coat,” Dalarsha told the man.
    “Thank you. I’m here to buy.” He added, “Maybe, if I see someone that interests me.”
    “And I’m sure you will,” Dalarsha said. “We have wonderful girls here. The best Perfumed Ribbons in all the world.” The word ‘perfume’ was often a euphemism for high-brow prostitutes. Flesh and blood courtesans were “Perfume Women”, but Fanarlem girls were referred to as “Perfumed Ribbons”, perhaps because both were fine and frivolous things made of cloth. “What kind of girl strikes your fancy?” she continued.
    “Hmm,” he said. “Well, let’s see them all. That’s too big of a decision to make without knowing all the options.”
    “Of course!” she said. “And a fine night for it. Not many men are braving this weather. They’ll all be happy for a visitor.”
    She started leading him up the stairs. The girls ducked back behind their doors.
    “I’ve never bedded with a Fanarlem girl before,” he said as they reached the top of the stairs.
    So he was one of the curious ones. Young-sounding. Well-bred and mannered, she thought, choosing a polite word like ‘bedded’ over some of the other options. His voice was respectfully soft, but direct. 
    Velsa doubted he would buy today. Not if he had never slept with a Fanarlem girl before. Usually the ones who bought knew what they were getting into. It was cheap enough to visit a prostitute first, to test the experience.
    “Well, they have everything you need,” Dalarsha said in a conspiratorial tone. “And besides that, they are very clean. Their skin is treated with spells to give them a life-like property, with special attention paid to their faces and mouths, their hands, which are all water-proofed, as well as their maidenhood, which is also given a vanishing spell so you will not have any messes after you enjoy her. They are dry, however, so oils are recommended. But I never hear any complaints. I’m sure you are aware, they are entirely adaptable. If you see a girl you like but something isn’t quite to your taste, remember that you can always change any part of her body except for her eyes. The girls here are all a basic type, to keep our costs reasonable, but many nice customizations cost just a little more. I can recommend a man in town who works very quickly if you’re traveling.”
    Velsa bit her lip. She really should never listen in on Dalarsha and the men. She didn’t need detailed reminders of what a man really wanted her for, and especially that her body could be changed on his whim.
    Dalarsha and the man disappeared behind a door. She heard a flurry of excited greetings from the entertainer girls. Dalarsha must have pegged him for the sort of man who would like conversation and talent.
    Velsa still wished she had been placed there. Just because she couldn’t play an instrument all that well! It wasn’t fair that she was left out of meeting the most thoughtful men for the sake of a few damned strings.
    Velsa paced the room while Nraya and Lasia whispered the same things she had been thinking. “He won’t really buy anyone today. Not if he’s never been with one of us before…”
    He stayed with the entertainer girls for a quarter of an hour or so, and then Dalarsha took him to the innocents. They knew very well the sound of each door.
    “We always get the good ones last,” Nraya said.
    Lasia picked at a loose thread circling her wrist and sighed when the length of it came out, leaving a gap in her skin. “Well, he won’t want me anyway, apparently I’m falling apart